photo by: Marketa Novak
There is a quiet golden
in this evening as it settles
unequaled in its beauty
by even that of precious metals
fox and goddess — in this waning hour
the forest bows gently at your feet
golden amber paints the eager land
rolling in twilight’s soothing heat
it dances in the silken air
ignites your copper hair in smolders
folds its warmth upon your bejeweled face
as foliage fondles ’round your shoulders
it spins special magic in the canopy
as though dreams are coming true
paints the forest in sensual splendor
almost as beautiful as you
sweet goddess of the forest
in this moment you catch fire
my frail heart’s a helpless tinder
sparked to flame by love’s desire
as you repose in goddess splendor
you fan further my love’s fire
your beauty touched by the divine
drives the wild flames ever higher
caught in your beauty’s reaching flame
I’m filled with passion’s yearning
my captive soul has roared ablaze
please m’lady — don’t leave me burning
before I am but all consumed
quench me with your goddess kiss
for if I am to be consumed
I pray it be by heady bliss
photo by: Marketa Novak
*
original written & posted: rob kistner © 3/2/2022
expanded edit posted: rob kistner © 3/16/2023
Another related forest poem I wrote: In The Glow
Poetry at: The Sunday Muse
More poetry at: dVerse
~ songs by a true goddess ~
This is gorgeous, Rob! What perfect cadence!
“as foliage fondles ’round your shoulders” … gorgeous
And that last stanza, sigh.
So pleased this resonated for you… thank you for your kind eords! 🙂
I love that golden hour when the sun burnishes everything as the light is changing. I love the closing stanza too.
Isn’t that an amazing magical time of a sunny day Sherry — especially an Autumn day. Photographs look beautiful in the golden hour as well.
Every line is a delight Rob! Truly magical poetry here!
Thank you Carrie… 🙂
Sweet goddess of the forest, indeed. This one is heady.
Thanks for some good distraction from the news I was listening to earlier.
You are welcome Susan, thank you for visiting… 🙂
‘before I am but all consumed’ 🙂 – that’s the kind of line that I just love!
Little touch of the classics.. 😉
Rob, perhaps you could post this to P&SU some other time if you’d like to share it with us? Though Rommy didn’t remind everyone this time that it’s one link per person, it has been stipulated often.
No problem. No hard feelings. From now on I will stop posting to P&SU all together Rosemary, so there will be no need for emotional politics. 🙂 I am also going to stop on earthweal as well. I Thought it would help me fill my open time, but with my declining health, it’s all getting too hard on me. No need to worry about me in the future at P&SU. I will take the link off my site.i
Hi Rob,
Another gorgeous poem, you are indeed a wonderful poet who pens from the heart. I enjoy reading each and every one.
This photo also was speaking to me in an unsung tongue. You did an excellent job, my friend.
It ran a close enough 2nd to the image I chose for “Keys” that I couldn’t resist… 🙂
Thank you for re-posting – This is gorgeous writing, my friend
Yes Truep, I added the 6th verse, and posted the expanded version.
Oops, forgot to breathe….
I saw the colours, the flames, the evening caressing the woods…Wonderful writing…I was there!!!
Thank you so much Syl… 🙂
Rob, we are very happy for you to share your work at P&SU. No emotional politics going on. It’s just that our very few rules have to apply to everybody. If you’re stopping for your own sake, obviously that’s all good, but not if it’s because I have managed to give offence. That was certainly not my intention. (And I am unaware of anything that may have been happening at earthweal, as I seldom have time to spare to take more than an occasional glance at other communities.)
Thank you Rosemary, for your response. No offense taken my friend, just hitting a wall healthwise.
Thanks for that reassurance. All the very best to you for your health, your writing, and everything!
Thank you my friend… 🙂
Rob, I am very sorry to learn of your health challenges. So sorry you are going through that. I know how our health impacts our fatigue levels. I struggle with that myself. Just wanted to let you know I am sorry to hear of your troubles. I dont seem to have your email address to message you privately. We would miss you at earthweal very much. Do come when you can and rest when you need to. And thank you for all of your contributions at earthweal – so many beautiful poems. (It makes me smile to see your P.U. interview posted on your site. I did love doing those interviews!) If you want to email me: wildwomantwo@gmail.com.
I want to thank you Sherry, from the bottom of my heart, for the wonderful support you have shown me in the last 11 years of my 59 year creative career, the most poetry intensive of my writing era. For a number of years now I have been unable to perform with my bands,(although I can still sing) and from time to time, I still write lyrics for the handful of friends who are still active in professional music performance. You have always been super to me Sherry. My health has taken its toll in recent years, as the severe arthritis in both hands makes tuping very painful — so my work is slow going these days. I have finally had to abandon the creation of my Serenity Totems, which I was selling quite successfully nationwide at Juried art shows, to which I was invited regularly. I have not been able to help my wife Kathy effectively in her Fibrations Studio for a couple years now. I am exhausted all the time now as my heart failure advances — the Pacemaker does not provide as much help as it did 4 years ago. The continued loosing of my eyesight to advancing macular degeneration has advanced a great deal during COVID, impacted more by my unstable insulin dependent diabetes. Thank god for the Libre Freestyle glucose monitors I insert im my left arm each week. It is so far superior and so much convenient than having to needle-poke my fingers 7-8 times a day. They would get so very sore. I was invited by Abbott Laboratory in 2016 to be part of their small nationwide test group. My extreme condition made me a perfect candidate. What a miracle. Better living through technology.It is such a struggle visiting, reading, and commenting on the other poet’s work — which makes me feel terribly selfish and guilty — but it is not because I do not have the desire to do so. My wife Kathy helped me type this as I dictated. I have tried to use Siri, but I find I have to go back snd correct typos almost as often as when I do my two-finger typing, necessitated bt arthritis in my hands. I am finding I am having to be more selective visiting sites, and I miss some wonderful work. I am just so tired and it is so painful and exhausting Sherry! I must nap 3-4 times a day — but I do visit and read a great many, and comment on some when I am able — though I feel that being forced to slow down dramatically. I make it a goal to acknowledge everyone who leaves a comment on my “Image & Verse” site. It breaks my heart that I am not nearly as active a poetry community member as I used to be, and still wish I could be — but I keep trying, because my mind is still sharpen as hell— my body just fails me! It is so sad for me. But I must keep writing and will do my best to continue getting around to other poet’s sites as much as I can, to at least say hello, I was here, and to encourage the poets to keep writing — keep the poet’s pens flying and powerful!! 🙂 Bless you Sherry for your steady support and concern! Thank you my friend!
Rob, I just saw this now. Please forgive my delay in getting bak to you. You are facing several severe challenges, for sure, and I am even more impressed at how you persevere in spite of it. It is hard to be hampered in what we do. I am as well, but I have had to adapt to it and accept that energy is limited, so I use it most carefully. One day at a time, my friend. Each day we are still here is a gift, even though the last couple of years, and what is going on now in the Ukraine, makes them some of the most difficult years ever, for everyone, I suspect. You have a wonderful body of work to show for this lifetime. I have as well. Macular degeneration runs in my family and I fear it as I dont think I would be able to write if I had to dictate. I have been banging the keys since I was eleven years old. So, as I say, I am impressed by how well you are managing. Thank you for your kind words. Online has been such a gift in my life, sharing work with and getting to know poets from all over the world has done more for my writing than anything. Stay safe, kiddo.
Thank you so much Sherry. It has been, and is getting much more difficult — but I can’t stop, I fear I may never start up again. I have performed on stage, even occasionally, for 15 years (though I can still sing pretty good). In the past 6 months, arthritis in my hands, robbed my ability to make my Serenity Totems — that I used to sell at Juried Art Shows nationally, then regionally only starting in 2015. Now the demands of an art show are beyond my capability, do I have a backlog of Totems I am not certain how to effectively sell? They sell rapidly when people see them. Without the “in-person” impact, folks don’t understand. So I have been shut away since the damned COVID. I hope you remain well enough to keep going Sherry. I really appreciate your contact, thank you! 🙂
Rob, you are as rare as the golden hour you write of ~~ I appreciate you more than words can say.
Thank you Helen, I greatly appreciate our cyber friendship, and I enjoy your wtiting my frienc… 🙂
Really love the passion in this poem, you paired so well with Sanaa reading today.
I always enjoy Sanaa’s perspective on sensual poetry, so It was fun pairing, thank you Björn… 🙂
This is absolutely lovely! Lovelier so, when I envision the goddess through your words, Rob! Especially love this part; “it spins special magic in the canopy as though dreams are coming true paints the
forest in sensual splendor almost as beautiful as you.” 🙂
And yes, we paired up perfectly today at OLN LIVE!!
Thank you Sanaa! :). I love your sensual poetry my friend, because 2nd to my writing about nature, I love to write about human passionate nature.
I love the passion and personification of the forest in this. And I agree with others about the golden light.
It was so wonderful to hear you read this poem. I just let your voice carry me along. . .
Thank you Merril! I love me my nature. I miss not being able to hike into the wilderness any more, or fish the remote isolated Cascade Mountain streams, rivers, and lakes. It was so uplifting hand cathartic for me.
It was great to see you hear you read this beautiful poem today. Your love of nature and the outdoors shines through bright and clear. Hang in there, my friend! Keep up the good work!
Thank you Dwight… :). Right now my concern is for my wife. They have turned from radiation to surgery to deal with the cancer in her throat. I am 16 years her senior. This is not the way it was supposed to happen. I was supposed to be gone long before her and give her some time not having to put up with my grumpy ass for a couple of decades, perhaps. Now she’s facing cancer and it breaks my heart.
It’s a joy to visit your site and your writings Rob. I missed OLN but instead I am dipping in to the luscious words and images. Sending the link to one of my writing companions who is a burnished copper maiden, and loves foxes… She will enjoy your gift!
Thinking of you with concern, kindness and appreciation. Your love of the sensuous is matched by your soulfulness, your in-most vision.
Best warm wishes to you and Kathy, from another Kathy
Thank you so much for your extremely kind words here Kathy, I much appreciate them. I hope your friend enjoys this piece. My wife goes for her first surgery for her throat cancer on Tuesday. I will be there pouring the vibes from my heart and soul into that operating room that they may guide the surgeons hands and gift to rid my Kathy of this disease. Thank you for thinking of her.
A treat spending time with you in cyberspace today!
Likewise Helen. Always so nice to see your smiling face in the group my friend. 🙂
Rob , my heart goes out to you and your Kathy. I am willing you strength and hope. My cheeseseller and I have had several health crises since 2021 – heart, allergies, arthritis ( in my hands dammit), thyroid- it just doesn’t seem to stop. Covid left it’s nearly too. But we soldier on
Smile on, head down, into the fray… that’s Kathy and I… 🙂
Bob: you seem always the fantastic romantic — an admirable trait. Well penned.
Thank you Sabio. Nice seeing your name again in my visitor comments.